Dive Bar Review – A Modern Gastropub in Lawrenceville

Dive Bar is, in contrast with its name, a modern gastropub with three locations in the area in Lawrenceville, South Side, and Wexford. The menu features several standard bar favorites like burgers and wings but mixes it up with some twists including unique appetizers and sandwiches. They've also got a great happy hour deal which is $2 off draft beer and half off appetizers.

We visited the Lawrenceville location recently for happy hour and were pleasantly surprised at our meal. We thought Dive Bar was going to be just another mediocre bar in the sea of many in Lawrenceville, but there were a few things that set it apart.

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Udipi Cafe Review – Southern Indian Cuisine at Its Finest

Udipi Cafe in Monroeville has been on our radar for quite some time as one of the only places in the area to get delicious and authentic Southern Indian cuisine. We finally recently ventured out to this spot and we have to say, it's worth the drive.

While it won't win any points for atmosphere, this all-vegetarian spot serves up traditional dishes like dosa and Thali sets that transport you straight to India. Southern India, that is.

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City Works Review – 90 Beers on Tap in Market Square

City Works in Market Square is a massive pub with a huge draft list, and it's perfectly situated in PPG Place for after work happy hours and watching sports games on one of their 15 TVs.

We visited on a recent week night just after happy hour had ended, and it was bustling with large groups of professionals enjoying the deals ($4 rotating drafts and select $4 appetizers). While we were sad about missing out on the specials, we dove in to our meal all the same.

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Baby Loves Tacos Review – Delicious Tacos in Bloomfield

Baby Loves Tacos is a popular taco joint that opened its first brick and mortar store in Bloomfield in early 2018.

The restaurant opening was eagerly anticipated as this one hosted frequent pop-ups around Pittsburgh and gained a legion of die-hard fans along the way. The popularity is worth it, as Baby Loves Tacos makes what we believe are some of the best all-around tacos we've had in the city.

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Muddy Waters Oyster Bar Review – Oyster Happy Hour in East Liberty

Oyster bars seem to be having a moment in Pittsburgh with spots like Muddy Waters in East Liberty, and Merchant Oyster Co. in Lawrenceville popping up.

We have to say, before this phenomenon we hadn't really been into oysters, but these restaurants are doing their part at convincing us that oysters are delicious and may end up becoming the next big thing in Pittsburgh.

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Threadbare Review – Local Ciders and Artisan Pizza in the North Side

Threadbare Cider House in the North Side is the brainchild of the folks at Wigle Whiskey, arguably Pittsburgh's most famous local distiller.

When wanting to branch out into a new venture, the owners stumbled upon the history of Johnny Appleseed (or John Chapman by his real name)- a rather eccentric fellow who, in the late-1700s/early-1800s, wandered around the region, preached conservation and planted nurseries to be tended to by locals (giving rise to the modern legend), and spreading the gospel far and wide.

Some stories of his travels had him based near Pittsburgh for a while (possibly even during the famous Whiskey Rebellion that Wigle proudly promotes), and when the owners realized this the idea for Threadbare came to life. Fast forward a few years, and they are now ramping up production of fine ciders made with locally sourced apples and are serving them at their North Side production facility along with stellar artisan pizzas.

Shortly before opening, our friends at Wigle gave us a call and invited us down to try out their menu- and sample the menu we did. Between three separate visits we had just about everything they offer!

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Zen Asian Review – Chinese Takeout in Lawrenceville

Zen Asian in Lawrenceville is a pretty standard Chinese restaurant with average food. The best parts about this restaurant are the large portion sizes and that they deliver – let's face it, sometimes you just crave a massive Chinese takeout feast.

After buying the house we were renting on our defacto “moving day,” we wanted just that.

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